Lord of the Rings 10-Day New Zealand Tour

• Climb the magnificent Edoras
• Visit the makers of the 'One Ring'
• Experience breathtaking Mordor
• Movie guest presentations
• Behind the scenes: Weta Workshop tour

Arrival Day: Wellington

After arrival at the Lord of the Rings 10-Day New Zealand Tour in Wellington, you’ll check-in at the tour Hotel from 14:00 to explore the city before meeting the tour leader. We recommend dining at one of Viggo’s favourite places in the Green Parrot Restaurant. The next three nights of accommodation will be in Wellington.

Day 1: Wellywood Day

Starting on day one and finishing on day nine, you will enjoy a fully-inclusive breakfast each morning before you depart for the days’ activities. Day one of the tour will start with experiencing the movie capital of New Zealand in Miramar. Visit the Windows into Workshop tour to marvel at the spectacular weapon and armour displays from the movies, purchase a souvenir and watch behind the scenes footage detailing the Weta company’s history. Experience the Wellywood location as a guided tour shows you some of the special effects used in some of the biggest movies ever. Experience the Weta Cave before heading to the Roxy Theatre for lunch on the house. The latter part of day 1 consists of visiting the filming location of the Get off the Road scene featured in The LOTR, offering stunning views of the city.

Day 2: Presentation day with Daniel Reeve

Day two of the tour won’t involve as much travelling,  as we enjoy an extensive and interactive presentation from Daniel Reeve, The LOTR and The Hobbit Calligrapher and Cartographer. For those visiting during the winter months, day two will also include a presentation from an additional special movie guest. Following the performances you’ll have ample time to explore the attractions nearby such as the Te Papa Museum, watching a movie at the Special Embassy Theatre or experiencing the stunning scenery around Wellington.

Day 3: Wellington to Nelson

After finishing breakfast on day 3, we depart the North island and make our way to the South Island for the next part of the adventure. We’ll set sail from Wellington on the Inter-Island Ferry to the Southern island which takes around 3,5 hours. Lunch will be served (included with the tour), and we’ll then head for Nelson City as our next destination. While travelling to the city, you might like to stop off to see the filming location of the famous scene where the Elves travelled in barrels along the river. As an optional extra you might also like to get a closer look at this location taking a kayak down the river. The day ends with an inclusive stay at an accommodation in Nelson.

Day 4: Nelson Day

Day 4 is yours to explore at your leisure. We’d highly recommend the famous helicopter ride which showcases the LOTR sites located South of Rivendell (at an additional cost). The next step of the tour begins with heading back into Nelson City to meet the creators of the famous One Ring. While there you’ll meet Halfdan Hansen, Jens Hansen’s son to marvel at his breathtaking Hobbit and LOTR jewellery. Night four is in Nelson accommodation.

Day 5: Nelson to Christchurch

Day five will commence with an early start following breakfast to head South towards the Kaikoura Coast. While on the route you’ll stop for a second breakfast (or lunch) to witness the beautiful fur seals having fun. Day five boasts some fantastic photo opportunities, and you’ll also get to enjoy an RCT coach quiz. Finally, we depart for our next stop at Christchurch, where we spend the night before a busy day ahead.

Day 6: Edoras

With an early morning departure, we’ll embark for the filming location of Edoras, set upon a hill in a valley of the White Mountains. Making our way up to the top of the area is where we find the site of the Golden Hall, and here is where we’ll fly our Rohan Banner. Afterwards, we experience Tekapo and Pukaki, the breathtaking mountain fed-lakes before witnessing the highest mountain in New Zeland – Mt. Cook. The evening will include an inclusive dinner while enjoying a presentation from a Hobbit-inspired special guest,  before settling into the Twizel accommodation.

Day 7: Pelennor Fields

Day seven kicks off with a visit to the Pelennor Fields, the location that’s known for the powerful sound of 250 horses charging after King Theoden made his battle speech. After experiencing this location, we move on to the Lake-town filming location before sitting down for lunch in Omarama. Following lunch, you might like to try your hand at archery before unwinding in your accommodation in Cromwell.

Day 8: Arrowtown, Queenstown

Venturing deeper into Middle-earth, we visit a variety of LOTR filming locations at Mavora Lakes. Purchase a picnic lunch to take along as we explore The calling up of Shadowfax, The Silverlode bridge, The Orc funeral pyre, Fangorn Forest,  Nen Hithoel, The log which concealed Merry & Pippin before Frodo left the fellowship and where Sam and Frodo paddled away on the next stage of their journey. You’ll have a wealth of astonishing scenery to take in here before being transported to Queenstown in the afternoon. Accommodation will remain in Queenstown for the final three nights.

Day 9: Queenstown

Our next destination is in Arrowtown, and along the way, we take a route which follows the direction of a gold mining road, and we continue up the Arrow River. One of the highlights of Arrowtown is the filming location of where the One Ring dropped among the Gladden fields. You might like to try Bungy-jumping (at an extra cost) before heading to the Elements Restaurant for an inclusive farewell dinner.

Day 10: Optional Activities

Day ten is all about you. After enjoying breakfast, you might like to experience some optional Lord of the Rings activities. Ride the Dart river jet which heads past The Hobbiton movie set, or perhaps a helicopter flight over the Ford of Bruinen. You could enjoy a hot air balloon drive, or keep your feet on the ground with a Routeburn Track guided walk. If retail therapy is more appealing, then Queenstown shopping is the perfect treat. Your tour guide will be able to discuss all of the options available, and help with a booking should you wish.

Departure day

Waking up to the final breakfast of the tour will see your Middle-earth journey coming to an end. As you depart from Queenstown, you will require a domestic airfare to return to Auckland, followed by an international flight for your journey home from Auckland.